Flying taxis will soon be offering Tampa Bay drivers relief from traffic congestion.
It is a rideshare, but in the air, and it’s being tested at the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) SunTrax facility in Auburndale.
FDOT said it will be the nation’s first Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) test track. The department discussed the operational timeline with the Polk County Board of County Commissioners on Friday.
“We have all felt the woes of traveling on I-4, and this truly starts to open up a network highway of aerial highways. So, with this research and if it comes to life which I’m sure it will, it will be a new way of travel for us here in Polk County,” said Commissioner Becky Troutman.
FDOT is in the first phase of the SunTrax campus expansion, which will expand the facility’s capabilities for research and development for Advanced Air Mobility.
The construction of a vertiport or landing hub was just completed.
“These vehicles take off straight up, so you don’t have to have a runway. It doesn’t require a lot of land. You would order your autonomous vehicle to come pick you up, lift you in the sky and take you a short distance,” Troutman said.
They are battery-powered and designed to go within a 60 mile distance. FDOT said a passenger terminal building has also been built, and an additional vertiport is now under construction — which will allow for an aerial test track. Some drivers are worried about logistics.
“What I think is going to be unique is how and where does it stop? And how do you pay for it? And what does it cost?” said Josh Palmer.
Phase 2 of the expansion will begin in February, and that includes nine additional hangers, 3000-foot runway and more vertiports.
FDOT is also working to establish Florida’s Aerial Highway Network. This will pinpoint the key locations where “air taxis” will go first. The department is focusing first on the I-4 corridor.
“With all the people coming into the state of Florida, it’s getting overpopulated. Traffic is crazy everywhere. You have to allow for a lot of time when you leave your house to get where you need to be at a certain time. So, it may help,” said Rex Herring.
FDOT’s goal is to have commercial vehicles take flight in late 2026.
